I was in kindergarten when I learned what Valentine’s Day and bullying were, on the same day.
The room was abuzz with excitement, as we each gave and
received valentines to and from every classmate. I felt so happy each time one of
the shiny, bright valentines was given to me. We each had a special bag to
store them in and I couldn’t wait to take mine home to show my mom and sisters.
Thinking back, I can’t help but wonder at how my child’s
mind tried to comprehend two such juxtaposed experiences; that of friendship
and love being combined with bullying and selfishness. It can be hard enough for adults
to put them together, even as life experience has taught us they do sometimes
come at once. If we are truthful we will admit that it is often the ones we
love the most that we also hurt the most. How to understand this?
In James 3:10, James writes, “Out of the same mouth come
praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” How many
times have I done this; especially to those closest to me?
This can be applied to our writing also. How often have we
written that defensive or angry text and then hit send? Or written an article with a harsh edge we try to ignore? We can think we are
hiding a hardened heart but it’s revealed in our tone.
“If I speak (or write)
in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a
resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” I Cor 13:1. This makes me consider
further, how ‘clanging’ I might be sounding to my readers. Or worse, to God.
Just as it was too much for me as a five year old to
consider the presence of love and friendship hand in hand with the presence of
bullying and selfishness, so it’s hard to wrap my head around the presence of
goodness and caring in my words, existing alongside my unresolved issues and
self-serving motives possibly lurking behind them.
Christ is our only hope. Paul exclaimed, after detailing how
he often wants to do what is good but then does not do it; “What a wretched man
I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to
God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Rom 7:24-25.
Both of those little girls in that kindergarten room that
day, needed the help of Jesus; one to understand that she didn’t need to grasp
for more love because God already loved her fully and the other to know that
when someone hurts her, God's perfect love still exists and He wants to wrap his
arms around her to comfort her.
Happy belated Valentine's to all of my Inscribe writer friends. May you too learn to not grasp for more love from those around you and to be comforted by God's love instead, as you endeavor to write from a heart filled with love.
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